When Flowers Bloom [Private/ Fleur]

Today was a beautiful day in Bellmuse, one of those day that seemed like nothing could go wrong and Lloyd would be sure to spend time outside for once. He thought that for once he would spend the day in town as it has been a while since last time he set foot in the urban area. But, he didn't felt like spending the day alone either and he didn't have to think long about who to bring along. Wanting to respect his word he made to her when they first met, Lloyd had sent a message to Fleur, using the students database from the school to get her number, and invited her to meet him at the plaza if she was interested in spending the time together.

Lloyd was already there by noon, waiting patiently sat at a table of a small coffee shop at the plaza with a cappuccino in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Yes, in the other as since last time him and Fleur met he was able to get a replacement for his missing arm. So far it was more a metal skeleton with simple plating but sooner or later he would work on it to make it battleproof. Only the hand could be seen as Lloyd was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with red accents, two stripes that went from his left shoulder to his right side. The other sleeve was pulled right before his elbow, giving it a look of a 3/4 sleeve while dark blue jeans were his legwear.

Slowly sipping his beverage while reading random articles, Lloyd waited for Fleur to arrive, not really having any expectation for today. He simply looked forward to a good time in her company and learning more about her. Hopefully everything would go well as he rarely hanged out with others in the past.

When the message came, Fleur was asleep. It happened around 11:00, last night was a rough night for Fleur, she didn't get much sleep. Her scroll buzzed on her nightstand, a lazy hand came out from underneath the warm covers of a bed. The hand comedically bounced around on the wooden surface for a few attempts. *Smack* *Smack* *Smack* The hand belonging to Fleur finally found the scroll, her dissolved blonde hair was completely messed up, it was all twisty and curled in a messy scrawl. She glared at it in the still dimly lit room at the message; from Lloyd. The scroll's screen turned black and she was left with the reflection of herself... in all her glory. She ninja'd out of bed and ran into the bathroom, she had to get ready! A quick shower, hair done up and curled fancy, a light applying of eyeliner and lip gloss, the works. She ran out the door by 11:27 and down to the airship.


Bellmuse Central was as lively as ever, the last time Fleur had been here was when she lived here in the Boardinghouse in between Ceder and 7th. The text message said to meet Lloyd at a small cafe on the east side of the main square. Fleur walked and her shoes clicked on the pavement and for being a shy introvert, she turned heads today. She had replaced her combat dress which was normal attire with a professional looking pair of jean shorts with leggings covering the rest, tank top with a cardigan and a small flower pinned in her hair which was styled fashionably. For being completely unprepared she was set and dressed to impress. She saw Lloyd sitting inside the shop from the bay window. She opened the door and stepped inside, the door made a little *ding* Fleur looked in his direction and waved.

"H-Hi Lloyd! Thanks for inviting m-me!" She smiled, a genuine smile of friendship, today was going to be interesting for sure.

Lloyd was sat at a table for too inside, right next to one of the windows up front as he did want be able to look outside and see the sun from where he was. Talking about the sun, when he finally finished reading the newspaper and was about to take a sip of his drink, he looked by the window to see Fleur who was making her way towards the cafe. The immediate reaction of the guy was to choke as he was drinking as, even though she is really a pretty girl to begin with, the way that she was dressed and that her hair was arranged today really outshone how she looked last time they met. It seemed like he wasn't the only one that noticed her either as some people did stare when she passed by.

When Fleur finally entered the cafe and thanked him for the invitation, Lloyd was still choking a bit. Standing up and clearing his throat, he smiled back towards her before inviting her to join him. "No problem, it's my pleasure really. Why don't you sit down and order yourself something? It's on me" Sitting back down and putting the newspaper to the side, he couldn't help but comment on her current attire. "I hope that once more I'm not the first one, but you're particularly pretty today. You wouldn't have preped yourself for me now, would you?" Giving her a teasing smile, he brought his cup to his lips before taking a sip while staring at the flower in her hair and whispering a little comment about it. "...quite fitting."

Looking at the time on his Scroll quickly, he returned his focus to Fleur with a smile. "So, what would you wanna do today? We have the day to ourselves so there's no real rush and I'm opened to suggestion. Is there anything in particular that you'd like?'

Fleur saw Lloyd choke on his drink, of course being oblivious she thought nothing of it, she was going to offer a caring hand to help him but he seemed to recover quickly. She noticed his new arm but quickly averted her eyes, I'm sure it would come up in conversation, no point in starting a conversation as the first thing like

"Oh hey, nice robot hand!" -an awkward silence would follow-  she shook the thought from her brain when he addressed her.

"No problem, it's my pleasure really. Why don't you sit down and order yourself something? It's on me" She smiled at his offer and sat. He really was sweet, the waiter soon came and she just ordered a small latte, she didn't want to overstep any boundaries.


"I hope that once more I'm not the first one, but you're particularly pretty today. You wouldn't have prepped yourself for me now, would you?" he asked, she could tell he had a teasing edge to his voice. She blushed, something she didn't think she would be doing as much of lately but... at least her pink hue matched the spring pink carnation that was in her hair. She twisted her ring on her finger.

"O-of course not..." she sounded really unsure of herself. She did it to just look nice? ...right? ||| Who was she kidding, of course, she wanted to impress him? Her drink came and she took a sip, tasty! She heard him mumble something and she looked up at him and he was just looking at her flower, he turned his attention back at her.

"So, what would you wanna do today? We have the day to ourselves so there's no real rush and I'm opened to suggestion. Is there anything in particular that you'd like?'

She thought for a moment, she was drawn in by his smile and just kind of stared at him awkwardly for a bit before regaining her sense of mind and behavioral manners. There was a museum further in the city, maybe start there.

"We could a-always go to the h-history museum?" "I-I've always wanted to see it!" she started hoping he would like the idea. She looked at him and whispered. "...And yes... you are the first person a-again... t-thank you."

Lloyd couldn't help but let go of a light chuckle as Fleur blushed from his compliment. The fact that the flower in her hair matched the pinkish hue of her cheeks was especially cute he thought. He watched as she seemed to play with the ring at her finger again, like she did the other day, making him wonder if the ring was a momento of her mom like his pocket-watch. He didn't want to pry about it right now though, but he was indeed curious about it.

As Fleur suggested going to the museum, and with the face she had Lloyd just couldn't refuse her this demand. "The museum it is then. Lets head out after your drink and no need to rush, we got all day." He smiled to her, as usual before he began to frown and look kind of disappointed. It wasn't Fleur's fault of course, he was just pissed that he was the first to compliment her when so many people looked at her when she walked in the plaza. Squinting his eyes and looking at his now empty cup, he tried to think of a way to repair this injustice. "Something's wrong, I can't be the only one to think that you're pretty..." Sighing, he waved at the waiter so he could come take his cup. When they were again the two of them, Lloyd looked up at Fleur and smiled. "Ah well, seems like I'm the lucky one huh?"

Resting his elbows on the table with his hands together at the level of his face, Lloyd simply smiled at the girl in front of him before looking by the window, watching the people walk all over the plaza while enjoying the faint sound of music that was coming from outside. Seems like some people were playing music further down the street.

"The museum it is then. Let's head out after your drink and no need to rush, we got all day."

There was something strangely calming about Lloyd, his eyes, they were very... trusting. She saw that he was staring for a moment at her but seemed to break from his trance after her suggestion. She continued to sip on her drink, roughly 3/4's done since it was only a small. She followed his eyes as they trailed looking outside the building.

Bellmuse summer was in full swing outside as kids, teens and adults all swarmed the streets, some chasing others, some talking on their scrolls or hanging out in groups, it was a lovely scene. It almost made Fleur sad, she was sheltered from this kind of life. She only got to experience it rarely when her Mother would take her down to the large Market in Mistral or whenever her Father wanted to show her off as proof of being a "great Dad" to his friends. She sighed and finished her drink, taking her ring off and glancing it over, carved in the back of the ring were two sets of initials, CMA and TEB, her parents. She placed the ring on her finger before looking back at Lloyd, returning a smile to her features.

"Something's wrong, I can't be the only one to think that you're pretty..." "Ah well, seems like I'm the lucky one huh?"

Fleur didn't blush nearly as hard as before but giggled at him, he was pretty cheesy but she loved it. She looked into his eyes.

"I g-guess luck runs b-both ways... because y-you're p-pretty handsome yourself..." was the simple statement that escaped her glossed lips. She nodded her head and stood up. "Shall we?" she asked, she was ready and there was no denying it. Excited, anxious and happy, a bundle of amazing emotions and she wasn't nearly ready to drop off this high... not even close.

Lloyd was watching the scene of children playing outside with parents looking over them. It was a pleasant sight to him as he was reminded of when his mother used to bring him along for groceries as she never liked asking for the personnel of the manor to do it, she loved the ambiance of the plaza and it was the only way she could get there and spent some time with her two sons.

Lloyd's focus was brought back to Fleur when she complimented him on his good looks. Taken by surprise, the guy smiled and blushed lightly before he went to scratch himself right under his jawline, not knowing what to say as he looked outside real quick. As she finished her drink and stood up, he did the same, waving at the waiter and payed the note. Leading the march to go outside, he opened the door for her before saying with a smile "After you."

As they were outside, Lloyd looked down the street where the museum was as well as all the people who seemed to enjoy a little impromptu music festival where many musicians were playing songs, singing and having fun. It was a really nice sight, seeing the street full of people, but this was the problem, the street was full of people. With everyone moving from a spot to the other, they would probably get pushed all around while trying to go through. At least, he had a solution. Turning to Fleur, he forwarded his hands towards hers while looking at her in the eyes. "Wouldn't want to get separated in the crowd now, right?"

Lloyd would then begin to walk through the crowd, making sure to not push anyone while keeping an eye on Fleur. Different songs, screams of joy and laughters were coming from every direction as they slowly made their way across. even though it wasn't easy to walk among so many people, he still had a smile on his face, happy to be here and hoped that Fleur was also enjoying herself right now, even if they still haven't done anything yet.

Lloyd lightly blushed at her compliment causing her to giggle. He proceeded to pay the waiter and walked towards the door, he opened it for her.

"After you."

"W-why thank y-you Sir Lloyd" she said teasingly as she walked outside, the sun was bright and lively but so was the plaza which had erupted into an impromptu music festival. Bands jammed out their beats, street performers danced and people crowded the attractions in glee. Children and grown-ups alike seemed to be enjoying the mini sets of events, the only problem was that it cluttered the streets making it slightly difficult to make it to the museum. Lloyd glanced in her direction, he slyly smiled and grasped his fingers through hers.

"Wouldn't want to get separated in the crowd now, right?" he was looking directly into her eyes as he said this, of course, she was slightly embarrassed but she might have slightly exaggerated it as she was totally into it, proof needed? Well, what she did next. Lloyd began walking them through the crowd. Fleur grinned inwardly at her upcoming little scheme. She slowly let her fingers slip between his own as if she couldn't hold on, she caught herself up to him and took her arm and wrapped it around his, arm and arm now she looked at him and flashed him a mischievously smiled.

"I just d-didn't want to get l-left behind." she defiantly had a sarcastic edge to her words but she was obviously teasing. Fleur didn't even know she had this flirtatious side to her, it had to be something about Lloyd, something about him. He made her feel comfortable for whatever reason, she didn't have an honest answer... not yet anyway

The music kept her plenty entertained as she slightly nodded her head towards the music. She was having a great time, regardless if they didn't even do anything of major important yet, it was definitely the first time she's felt like this... she wondered why, why now? What was different, she looked at Lloyd who was confidently leading her towards the Museum.

'Huh... maybe I do have an answer after all...' she thought as she smiled.

Lloyd winced as he was called "Sir", hating all that is title when paired with his name. But since he could notice the teasing tone in Fleur's voice when she exited the cafe, he decided to let it slide for now. Did she knew that he would react to it or was it just luck? He didn't bother himself too long with the question though.

As they were walking among the crowd, enjoying the music while slowly but surely making their way to the museum, Lloyd could feel Fleur's hand slipping from his, causing him to turn around to see if she was alright. Taken by surprise as she was now clinging at his arm, he sighed in relief before replying. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't leave you behind, in fact I think that you could actually be the one who would begin running away to make me run after you." Giving her a smile, he realized that he may have given her an idea, making him sigh once again before continuing. "I wouldn't suggest it by the way, you'll lose." Smiling once more, he wasn't sure if he was warning her for her safety, or challenging her. Sure a little game of cat and mouse wouldn't hurt and could be fun, but with all those people in the street, might not be the best idea. So he tried to keep her close as their arms were locked, just to be sure.

Keeping a good pace through the crowd as well as an eye on the blonde at his arm, Lloyd couldn't help but notice that Fleur has been smiling all the time, which was a sight that made him happy. Even though he didn't know much about her and her past, he could say that she didn't have it easy and that small happy moments like this one was what she needed he believed, something fun to do. For some reason he really wanted to help her and be there when needed. He thought it was because his own family situation hasn't been easy, not exactly like her probably but still. If he has been able to get through, he wished the same for her, so she could enjoy moments like today all the time.

She saw him wince, but he recovered quickly... must have been nothing.

After her little plot he mentioned to her something about her running off and having him chase her. She thought about it, considering it. Fleur glanced her surroundings. There were plenty of people for her to slip away and vanish, they had each other's numbers in case they DID get separated. Fleur briefly considered the action but decided against it.

"I wouldn't suggest it, by the way, you'll lose." ... was that a challenge? Now she REALLY considered it. She wanted to but as she was about to reconsider her decision but as she noticed a woman standing towards the edge of the crowd, tall, blonde hair that tied into braids, she stopped and stared. The women looked in her general direction, and left, it wasn't her. She sighed but by the time they made it to the steps of the museum she had returned to her joyful mood.

Walking the large white glossed stairs of the museum didn't take long, the pair entered the large sculpted building. They were engulfed in a large room, the ceiling rose high and domed at the time. The marble swirled floors were hypnotizing. In the center of the room was a giant statue of a Huntsmen and  Huntress, their hands were in twined and they each had a respective foot on a King Taijitu, whose dual heads seemed to squeal in pain.

"Woah..." she whispered almost under her breath. They had made it only 25ft inside the building and she was already impressed. The large room seemed to curve into separate hallways, eventually, it looked like all the exhibits looped around so you would get to all of them before ending back into the center room.


"W-where do y-you wanna go first?" Fleur asked him.

Lloyd saw the look on Fleur's face as she obviously was debating running away from him and he didn't made it better by telling her she'd lose for sure. Yet, she stayed by his side, still clinging to his arm while smiling. At one point as they both walk and nearing the edge of the crowd, Fleur stopped and looked towards a blonde woman a little further. She sighed before they resumed their walk towards the building they wanted to reached. He didn't know if he had to say anything, he wanted to but at the same time, maybe she wouldn't want. The guy decided that now may not be the best time as she had her lovely smile back on her pretty face.

As they were climbing the set of stairs, Lloyd looked around. He wasn't in awe as Fleur was in front of the marble structure and the statue as it wasn't his first time here. It was still quite impressive but it was still the same as ever. Well, something was in fact different, looking back at the girl accompanying him as she was staring at the statue of the Huntsman and the Huntress, he recall never coming here with anyone before, so it was a nice change to this.

Fleur left Lloyd the liberty to choose where they would go. Pointing towards the right path with his hand that wasn't held captive at the moment by some pretty girl, he chose to avoid the exhibit about economic events that was in the room on the other side. He knew full well though that he wouldn't be able to avoid it but if he could gain some time he'd be happier. "How about we go there first? We'll be finishing with the other room as we go around the museum and see everything so don't worry, we won't miss anything. I've been here quite a few time already." He smiled to her once more, looking into her eyes before walking towards the next room.

Lloyd steered her towards the hall of Famous Huntsmen and Huntresses. The hall expanded under the archway and the room slightly dimmed as large roped off statues lined the room. Fleur only recognized two of the men carved in stone, Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy and the Kingdom of Atlas's Fearless Leader James Ironwood, Ironwood was in a pose that really was large and overly dramatic. Ozpin however, was just standing, cane on the ground and mug in his hands. Fleur disconnected from Lloyd and walked towards Ozpin's form.

"Wow..." even if he wasn't real the statue seemed to look at her, a soft smile on his features. She glanced at Ironwood's statue and just rolled her eyes, she admired him for sure but that pose was seriously ridiculous. Fleur waved Lloyd over at another statue stood, it was a trio of 3 Huntresses, two of them carried Naginata's and the other one looked to be carrying a long katana that was slung over her shoulder. She looked down for a plaque but there was none. She furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes attempting to look for one.

"H-hey Lloyd...?" she didn't know if he was behind her yet, but she continued anyway. "Who a-are t-these people?" all three of them looked so badass and regal and even if they were in stone you could tell they were also beautiful. They reminded her of her Mother, I wonder if one day she would in this section... or maybe she would. Fleur sighed, those were fantasies, dreams... but maybe... maybe one day.

As they entered the room in which rows of statues of the most famous Hunters were lined up. It was like a Hall of Fame, just less official but all men and women that had their place here had deserved it. As Fleur went on her own towards the statue of the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Lloyd turn towards the statue of a man in armor, wielding a lance, just like he was. This unnamed Huntsman was the reason why he had chosen the weapon actually as no one else in here had a similar weapon. The guy was also really impress with the armor of the man with all the small metal wings his armor was covered in. It looked like you could get hurt just by getting too close to him, like his armor had thorns.

After a moment, Fleur beckoned Lloyd to join her, which he did as he stood right behind her. It seemed like she had a question for him about a trio of Huntresses garbed in oriental armors with weapons of similar origins. As she asked who those three were, he noticed that the plaque with their names was missing, probably was it being cleaned in another room where the public didn't have access. "They are the Celadon sisters..." he began while pointing all three of them from left to right. "...Clara, Dana and Prima, also known as the Green Triplets. They were part of the first generation of Hunters here in Bellmuse. Always fought with style and efficiency and were always said to be the prettiest Huntresses around. Although all the guys that asked them out got rejected, because their love was taken by duty. Dana was the one leading the trio while her sister were always there to support her. They ended up retiring after about 15 years of hunting as they all got a lot of injuries that made it hard to continue. It's said that they died the way they lived: together and happy."

Looking at Fleur for a second before asking "Any other questions? Maybe on another statue? Or are you ready to continue the tour, milady? I'm at your service." Lloyd lent his arm to her, offering to be her personal guide across the museum and ready to ask all of her answer. Since she was pretty much new to Bellmuse, unlike him who has spent over a year on the island, he thought he would be useful.

"...Clara, Dana and Prima, also known as the Green Triplets. They were part of the first generation of Hunters here in Bellmuse. Always fought with style and efficiency and were always said to be the prettiest Huntresses around. Although all the guys that asked them out got rejected, because their love was taken by duty. Dana was the one leading the trio while her sister was always there to support her. They ended up retiring after about 15 years of hunting as they all got a lot of injuries that made it hard to continue. It's said that they died the way they lived: together and happy."

Fleur was awe in the whole time Lloyd told the tale, it was hard to imagine that three people could be so beautiful, graceful and deadly. Inspirations were all over this part of the museum for huntsmen of all stripes, it was truly magnificent.

"Any other questions? Maybe on another statue? Or are you ready to continue the tour, milady? I'm at your service." she smiled at Lloyd's helpfulness, he was a sweetheart... a handsome sweetheart, bonus! Fleur and Lloyd continued down the hall until they reached another statue at the end of the hallway, it was another statue that Fleur recognized and gasped when she saw it, she walked towards it. The boy carved into the statue was maybe a little older then Lloyd, he was looking down with his duel pistols slinger across each other, his statue's eyes were closed. Fleur looked for the plaque and found one on the side.






She looked at Lloyd. "I can't believe they have Douglas here, h-he's pretty much an urban legend b-back h-home in Mistral..." she trailed off and stared, he looked so cool. Her Mother would talk about him all the time, his name in stories but recently he disappeared.  She looked at Lloyd gauging a reaction, she was proud that she might have known something he didn't or maybe he did know. Who knows?

Lloyd followed Fleur as they continued to pass statues after statues of Hunters, each of them incredible in their own way with great feats to their name. The guy gave some trivia about each of them as they walked, some were general information while some were stories or myths that circled around those persons. Although, when the two of them came across the statue of a gunslinger, it seemed like Fleur was the one with the most knowledge about him. "An urban legend huh? Well I'll admit that I don't know much about him myself to be honest. I know more about Hunters who are from Vale, being myself from there. I know too little about heroes from other kingdoms. Why not tell me more about him? You seem to know quite a lot."

Smiling to her, Lloyd would listen to her while walking slowly, continuing on their way in the museum but making sure to take their time. He also noticed that they were alone in the building, except for a few security guards here and there. He figured it was probably because of the musical gathering that attracted people and also blocking the path. Thinking about that, he suddenly wondered what was Fleur's musical preference. He didn't really know why but he was intrigue by that. They did both know a song, one that not many knew so maybe they had more in common on the subject of music. "Say, what type of music do you usually listen to? Or beside singing do you play any instrument? Sorry if it sounds like a weird question, I'm just curious ever since I heard you sing last time."

"An urban legend huh? Well, I'll admit that I don't know much about him myself, to be honest. I know more about Hunters who are from Vale, being myself from there. I know too little about heroes from other kingdoms. Why not tell me more about him? You seem to know quite a lot."

She stopped a little past his statue.

"I'm not s-sure a l-lot is the correct. I-I know he grew up in Mistral, n-not far f-from my own home. He graduated from Haven a few y-years back, top of his class along with his teammates, Team DAWN. T-they all w-went missing a few months back. N-no word..." the news saddened her as it did most of Mistral, she vaguely remembers the vigilante that was held that night in the city center.

"In fact... the day they went m-missing i-is the same day I l-left home... and the next day I was h-here in Bellmuse...and now I'm with you..." she paused and smiled at Lloyd. They continued walking. Making their way to the next room which was dedicated to some wonderful Art, also a hobbyist artist Fleur was entranced by the work. After staring at a landscape piece for awhile Lloyd spoke up.

"Say, what type of music do you usually listen to? Or beside singing do you play any instrument? Sorry if it sounds like a weird question, I'm just curious ever since I heard you sing last time." She turned and looked at him.

"Oh... I-I kinda like everything to be h-honest. A-although I prefer something slow and melancholic to sing to..." she replied to him. Was he actually interested in her? Her heart quickened and she felt herself get slightly red in the face... She was blushing over such a simple and innocent question! Ridiculous.

Lloyd listen carefully to Fleur's story about that Huntsman named Douglas. He though that it was a peculiar coincidence that he went missing the day she left home, but his mind stopped thinking about it when she mentioned that now she was with him. He couldn't help but smile back at how sweet she was.

As they changed room, they were now facing walls where many paintings were hanged, showing landscapes and more abstract artworks. One painting stroke him as odd as it was a painting of his manor, or rather what was once the manor he used to live in back in Vale. He wondered if it was one of the old painting that his parents had commissioned back in the day or if was just a similar looking mansion. Either way, it was bringing back memories of the place he grew up, but he wished he was recalling events from a far away past, and not the most recent one...

Looking at his left hand for moment with a pained look before Fleur got back his full attention when she answered his question about music, which immediately made him smile. "So just a singer are you? I see, well maybe one day if you want we could play a little something together? I play both piano and guitar while also singing from time to time but... it's been a while since I last played with anyone, so I kinda miss that... a lot actually..." Lloyd had a saddened look on his face as he looked down slightly, reason being that the last person he played with was his now departed mother. He then looked back up at Fleur with a sorry smile. "Sorry, my mind drifted a bit... so, what do you think?"

Fleur looked over at Lloyd who was looking glum at a painting, it was a large manor, a beautiful house really. She silently watched, she wished she had half the courage he did. She wanted to say something, he seemed down... she started to approach him, she could do this... just some nice words. I mean she loved him. Easy? She froze mid step. Wait... WHAT DID SHE JUST THINK. Her mind was spinning a million miles-per-hour... hold on... she didn't mean that... she couldn't have meant that... no... NO. They just meet like a few days ago! Her face was bright red now, omg... what if he sees me? Omg. Panic mode for Fleur had engaged.

"So just a singer are you? I see, well maybe one day if you want we could play a little something together? I play both piano and guitar while also singing from time to time but... it's been a while since I last played with anyone, so I kinda miss that... a lot actually..."

She snapped out of her daze when he addressed her. "O-oh! Um.... uh...."

'Calm down, say something that doesn't sound stupid... you got this...' her mind reassured her. She took a breath and smiled.

"O-of course I'd love to!" she grabbed his arm again and hugged him. "I would l-like that a lot..."

Lloyd stared at Fleur as she seemed to be lost in thoughts while her face was slowly turning more and more red. The sight made him chuckle a bit, not to be mean, but because he thought she was really cute when blushing like that without any apparent reason. At this point it is pretty obvious that Lloyd is the oblivious type, never noticing something as blatant as the situation in which he was in right now. He was helpless...

As she came back from her trance, Fleur smiled and hugged his arm before saying that she'd love to sing alongside him, which made him smile even more. The sight of her clinging at his arm was bringing a certain warmth inside. He wasn't sure why exactly, but it couldn't be bad if it made him smile right?

They continued their tour, Lloyd guiding Fleur from a painting to another, commenting on them as well as giving some trivia that he learned from other people when he came in the past. He was happy to share random facts that some random guy once told him as he found it funny to share random things like that with anyone. Time went on, they had seen all the painting and also some sculptures unrelated to Hunters before they reached the next room which was the one that he wished he could avoid. The room, or rather the serpentine hallway had a lot of information on the history of Remnant, going across all subject, war, religion, expedition, scientific discoveries and of course economics. Lloyd knew that his family name was here, and what they said on the matter wasn't all good. Everything after the Vanheim Freelance Industries moved from Atlas to Vale just went from bad to worse and of course he has been dragged down into it.

At least, the economic section was near the end, so for now he could simply enjoy some history with Fleur, but if he could avoid the section in which is family is badmouthed, although with reason, he'd be happy. Although he wouldn't want to stop her from having fun, so he decided that if he had to, he'd say nothing about it and just roll with it. But for now, general history. He shouldn't have to explain anything as everything was well described and explained already but he stayed ready for any question that Fleur could have.

Fleur continued to follow Lloyd and listened to him attentively. She asked the occasional question that was answered promptly. The duo finally made it to the last section of the Museum, General Remnant History. The hallway in front of them seemed to twist and turn. Lloyd took a few slow steps at first... as if he contemplating something. She shook off her concern as they worked their way through the final exhibit. It was full of cool and useful information, stuff on the Great War, The Uses of Dust, The Founding of Bellmuse Island...

"Wow... there's just so much...." she looked at Lloyd. "I-I honestly think I could stay in h-here and read a-all day." She tilted her head downwards as the made it to the economics section and before the main domed room. Fleur went towards the Schnee Dust Company's Buildings Model. She had heard of them of course, all sorts of nasty stuff really. She shook her head and sighed, next to the Schnee Model Building was another. She looked at the plaque.

"Vanheim Freelance Industries..." she muttered, she had never heard of this company except for passing when she was in Vale between the train ride from Mistral to Bellmuse. She glanced at Lloyd who seemed to be admiring the ceiling and not really paying particular attention. "H-hey... do you know anything about this company? I-I've never heard of them..." she hoped Lloyd would share his seemingly infinite knowledge, which was something she found attractive as well, maybe he could answer her final question.

OOC:

Lloyd looked at Fleur with his usual smile when she said that she could stay here all day to read everything this section of the museum had. It's not that he would have minded really, but at the same time there were other things they could do too. He wondered where to go next and didn't noticed that he was staring at the ceiling.

Brought back from his daze as Fleur questioned him and of course, it was about the only subject he wish she didn't ask anything. But what he thought was weird was that it was the first time she actually asked him something in this section. She wouldn't need him with all the information that was normally there. Lloyd approached the girl and took a look at the model of the Head Quarters of VFI... "A model? Did they change it?" did he thought to himself as before it was a board with a recap of the milestones of the company alongside some trivia, good and bad. It meant that the museum now didn't displayed any information about his family, which was good and made Lloyd sigh of relief. Of course he wouldn't start lying to Fleur or tell her bullshit, he would answer her question. He would just limit his answer at what he believe she'd need.

"Well, the VFI is one of the most important weapon manufacturer in all Remnant, along with the Nightfrost Industries. See them as the Schnee of weaponry. Settled in Atlas a hundred years ago, they were forced to move their production to Vale after Nightfrost flooded the market with cheaper weapons that were in par with Vanheim's own designs. As soon as they moved, their products were met with mixed reviews and the company began to decline, forcing the latest generations of CEOs to do shady deals here and there. Now, rumors similar to the Schnees are spreading, although I fear they're not just rumors..."

Even though he tried to avoid to connect himself to all this, it was still pretty obvious that just talking about it made Lloyd disappointed. The look on his face was a mix of sadness and disgust as he remembered the events of his childhood. Sighing heavily, he remained silent for a moment while lost in thoughts.

"Well, the VFI is one of the most important weapon manufacturers in all Remnant, along with the Nightfrost Industries. See them as the Schnee of weaponry. Settled in Atlas a hundred years ago, they were forced to move their production to Vale after Nightfrost flooded the market with cheaper weapons that were on par with Vanheim's own designs. As soon as they moved, their products were met with mixed reviews and the company began to decline, forcing the latest generations of CEOs to do shady deals here and there. Now, rumors similar to the Schnees are spreading, although I fear they're not just rumors..."

Fleur definitely admired Lloyd, he was so smart! So knowledgeable! She just nodded along as he talked, his voice, however, seemed to turn more disappointed as he finished his recap. Fleur looked at him, he looked distressed about something.

'Okay! You couldn't do it before... DO IT NOW, ask him what's wrong!' her own voice was very persistent. She gulped, she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong.

"I see..." was all the came out, how appropriately underwhelming. She let out a little sigh as her failure was prevalent again. Her mouth twisted slightly into a half frown of sorts before she took one last look around the room, they had made the circle of all the exhibits in a little over an hour, she made her attempted at cheering him up but smiling and grabbing his hand, pulling him back into the main foyer of the building. Fleur steered him towards and bench near the entrance, she sat down, hoping he would join her. She looked at him expectingly.

"W-what do we do now?" she asked, her voice may have stuttered but make no mistake; she was having one of the best days of her life thus far and it hopefully it was only going to get better.

Lloyd's gloomy expression quickly disappeared when Fleur grabbed his hand and pulled him in in the central room in which they began their tour of the museum earlier. She immediately went to sit on a beach and since he was dragged along he sat right next to her. He appreciated her spontaneity, her energy and her enthusiasm as it made him feel like his past and all the problems that came with it had no importance at all, which was true in a way as he seemed to have a girl to entertained.

Fleur asked Lloyd what they'd do next, which made him look upward as he tried to come up with something fun to do. While he was doing that, he couldn't help but think about her stuttering for a second, wondering where it came from. Was she born with it or was it caused by traumatic event? Both were possible, but one thing was for sure, he thought it added a cute charm to her.

Having an idea about what to do next, Lloyd looked at Fleur with a smile. "How about we go listen to some music in the street and go grab a bite? I don't know for you, but I'm a little hungry." Scratching the back of his head with his left hand, it's only now that he noticed that with his right he was still holding Fleur's. Not really wanting to make it awkward by letting go of it, now that they had held hands for a moment, he decided to do nothing about it and just roll with it. It probably wouldn't do anything anyway... So Lloyd just awaited her answer.

"How about we go listen to some music in the street and go grab a bite? I don't know for you, but I'm a little hungry."

Fleur nodded at Lloyd's suggestion, she got up but when she stumbled she realized that her hand was still attached to Lloyd's. She stopped her mouth slightly open, she smiled, she slowly released, their hands would be together soon enough again anyway.

Walking outside and back into the slightly humid Bellmuse weather Fleur noticed that the little music festival was still in relatively full swing. People had come and gone of course but a good crowd still surrounded the musicians, another thing Fleur noticed was a line by one of the stages. From her position on top of the Museum she thought she spotted a sign propped in the grass that read "Open Mic". It intrigued her... but...but there was NO WAY she could do that, but she kind of wanted too, but she didn't! Her stomach growled loudly, she hoped Lloyd didn't hear that. Fleur proceeded to cover it with her hands, that's so embarrassing. She continued to scour around, there were so many little food shops and stalls around. Hot-Dogs, Chicken, Atlas Style Steak...even a Mistral Sushi Stall.... Fleur would be no means consider herself a picky food eater but she really wanted to have a taste of home again, she probably eyed the sushi stand a little longer than what was necessary, she turned to Lloyd.

"D-do you have a preference?" she asked him, seriously hoping he did NOT hear her stomach growl that loudly earlier.

'Please...oh please... that would be so embarrassing....' she thought to herself an awkward smile planted on her face as she waited for his response.

Lloyd followed Fleur as they exited the domed room that led back to the Bellmuse Plaza where many people were still gathered. He followed her gaze as she scanned the area trying to see what she was eyeing before he noticed the little opened stage that was further down the street. He looked at the blonde with a grin before he heard her stomach growl. Trying to keep himself from laughing Lloyd turned himself slightly so she couldn't see his face. Sure it was absolutely embarrassing for Fleur, but embarrassingly cute from his perspective. Trying to keep a serious face, which failed, he looked back towards her with a smile. "I heard nothing, I swear."

As they reached the many food stands that were installed in the plaza, Lloyd looked around, not staring at anything in particular but noticed that Fleur had her eyes on the sushi and chuckled when she ask if he had a preference. "Nah go ahead and choose, I'll have whatever you want."

Lloyd then looked back at the stage where someone had just got on to play some guitar. The guy played a lovely relaxing melody while everyone were listening to him. Approaching Fleur, he nudged her with his elbow to get her attention towards the musician. "Say, how about we'd give it a go you and me? We could sing the song you were singing last time, just this time all of it." He then remembered that Fleur isn't the most extrovert and that she'd either refuse or just die of stage fright. He looked at her with a sorry smile. "...or nevermind... you must be hungry right now." He teased her slightly with a small chuckle before continuing to listen to the man' melody.